Key holder



Jan. 31, 1961 G. L. SHERWOOD KEY HOLDER Filed May 4, 1959 United States Patent f KEY HOLDER Glenn L. Sherwood, P.0. Box 213, Benton Harbor, Mich.

Filed May 4, 1959, Ser. No. 810,797

2 Claims. (Cl. 150-40) This invention relates to a key holder or case adapted to receive a plurali y of keys and provided with means by which the desired individual keys may be quickly withdrawn for use. The main objects of this invention are,

First, to provide a key case or key holder adapted to contain a plurality of keys from which individual or selected keys may be quickly withdrawn and freely manipulated in use, and at the same time a structure which is compact in proportion to the number of keys mounted therein.

Second, to provide a key holder having these advantages which comprises relatively few parts and one in which the parts are economically produced and assembled.

Third, to provide a key holder having these advantages which is adapted to receive keys varying substantially in design, shape and size.

Objects relating to details and economies of the invention will appear from the description to follow. The invention is defined and pointed out in the claims. A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a key case embodying my invention with the cover in open position, although it should be understood that in the embodiment illustrated the cover is automatically closed by means of a spring.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view partially in section on a line corresponding to line 2-2 of Fig.' 1 with a key partially withdrawn.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view partially in section on a line corresponding to line 3-3 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view partially in section on a line corresponding to line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of one of the key link elements.

Fig. 6 is a side view of one of the key holders removed from the supporting spindle on a line corresponding to line 6-6 of Fig. 4.

In the accompanying drawing the key case illustrated is designed to receive four keys and only two keys are illustrated, this omission to simplify the drawing. In the embodiment illustrated the key holder casing comprises the body member 1 and cover member 2, the body member being provided with side walls 3 and rear wall 4. The cover is provided with side walls 5 and rear wall 6, these walls of the body and cover member being complementary.

The body member is provided with springable catches designated generally by the numeral 7 which engage the cover when the cover is adjusted to closed position. The spring 8 acts to urge the cover to open position, however, it should be understood that these casing details form no part of my present invention, with the exception that the front end 9 of the body member is open, that is. the body member does not have a front wall. A spindle supporting bracket 10 provided with upwardly projecting arms 11 is mounted on the body member to support the spindle 12 mounted thereon ad- 2,969,823 .Patented Jan. 31, 1961 jacent to but in inwardly spaced relation to the front edge 13 of the body member, see Fig. 2. A plurality of key holders are mounted on this spindle, these key holders comprising the cylindrical head members 14 with their ends disposed in abutting relation, see Fig. 1. These members 14 have central peripheral portions 15 which are desirably knurled and provided with angularly spaced notches 16 in their peripheries to facilitate the grasping or the engagement thereof. These head members are provided with radial bores 17 which receive the cylindrical heads 18 of the links 19, these heads and bores being relatively dimensioned to permit rotative movement of the links within the head members, but preventing substantial tilting movement thereof.

In the embodiment illustrated, the links are retained in the head members by upsets 20 therein at the outer sides of the head members of the links. The links have integral key engaging loops 21 which are, in the embodiment illustrated, in the form of a hook so that the eyes 22 of the keys 23 may be releasably engaged therewith. These key engaging loops are elongated and dimensioned so that the keys engaged therewith are loosely connected to the links. This is illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawing and one of the advantages of such loose connection is that when the head members are manually manipulated to withdraw a particular key from the case for use, a combined longitudinal and tilting movement is imparted to the key so that it is easily withdrawn from a group of keys which lie in at least partially overlapping relation, the heads of the keys being commonly of such dimensions they they overlap or stack in the case. The rotatable connection for the shanks of the key links not only facilitates withdrawal thereof for use, but permits free movement when in use position.

I have illustrated and described my invention in one practical embodiment thereof. It is desired to point out, however, that one advantage of my invention is that the key holder elements thereof may be readily adapted to casings of varying designs, and to vary the number of keys it is only necessary to provide a support for the spindle of the desired length and to supply the desired number of key holder units.

What is claimed as new is:

l. A key holder comprising a body member, a spindle supporting bracket disposed transversely of said body member adjacent to but in inwardly spaced relation relative to an edge thereof, a spindle mounted on said bracket, a plurality of key holders comprising head members having radial bores therein rotatably mounted on said spindle in end to end abutting relation and having projecting axially spaced engageable portions facilitating the independent manual manipulation thereof, and key links having shanks of substantial length provided with cylindrical heads retainingly secured within and rotatably and substantially non-tiltably engaged in said bores, said links having key engaging loops at their outer ends dimen sioned to permit longitudinal tilting and swinging movement of a key engaged therewith as a head member is actuated to withdraw the key connected thereto and the withdrawn key is freely manipulatable for use.

2. A key holder comprising a body member, a plurality of key holder units comprising head members having radial bores therein rotatably mounted on said body member in axially aligned relation and having finger engageable portions projecting radially therefrom with the engageable portions of a head member spaced from the engageable portions of the adjacent head members, and key links having shanks of substantial length provided with beads retainingly secured within and rotatably and substantia ly non-tiltably engaged in said bores, said key links having key receiving portions at their outer ends dimensioned to permit sliding swinging and tilting movement of a key engaged therewith and so that when the 1,439,864 Buxton Dec. 26, 1922 head member of}; key holder unit is rotated to withdraw 1,694,595 Howard Dec. 11', 1928 the key connected thereto from a plurality of like con- 1,735,300 Schroeder Nov. 12, 1929 nest ed keys the key is withdrawn with a combined longi- 1,966,773 Tilston July 17, 1934 tudinaland'tilti'ng movement and may rotate. 5 FOREIGN PATENTS References Cite'clin thefileof patent 465,850 Canada June 13, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENTS:

636,673 Klatt Nov. 7, 1899 m 

